Kicking It with Maddie
by jordan.honeycutt.7
Summary: Jack moves to a new school and meets Maddie. Will they hit it off? Slightly tired of Kick so I decided to write this. Jack X Maddie.
1. Chapter 1

'AN: I flipped the plot a bit, So whoever made it. Thank you.

Jack's POV:

I had to move away from Seaford. Kim died in an accident. She was in a karate tournament and took a kick to the head. "Jack! Time for school!" my mom yelled at me from downstairs. "Alright," I yell back. I run down the stairs and out of the house. We hadn't found a dojo yet but we were gonna go looking later. I jump into my car and pull out. I owned a Ford Mustang but I didn't drive that today. I didn't want people thinking I was spoiled so I brought my Chevy S10. I pull up to the high school and park. I grab my backpack and walk in. My first impression is that it definitely isn't Seaford. For one their mascot is the Porcupine. I'm walking around the corner and bump into somebody. "I'm sorry," I say looking at the blonde in front of me. "It's fine, I'm Maddie," she says. "I'm Jack," I answer back. "Well nice to meet you," I say moving to walk around her. "I could uh, show you around," she says rather hurried. "Sure, how about I get to know you a little more?" It couldn't hurt to have a friend.

Maddie's POV:

Jack seems like a nice guy. He told me a little about how his parents got new jobs and had to move from California. Apparently he does karate and is a black belt. That's pretty impressive. I walk him to the office and turn off to my own locker. "Who's that?" Liv asks me. I don't really want her in on this. Every since the skateboarder incident and Diggie saying he didn't really like anymore I thought that both of us agreed to stay out of each other's love lifes. "Jack, he's new," I answer. "And..." she presses on. I look at her annoyed. "Ok, ok!" she smiles at me and walks off. I hear some yelling down the hallway and run down the hallway to see what's happening.

Jack's POV:

I can see what the Black Dragon is going to do next. I jump up, twist in the air, and kick him in the back. He hits the ground and I land a few feet away. I see another Black Dragon come from the corner. I jump up again and flip through the air. He turns around to a kick from me in the gut. "Break it up!" I turn around and see a teacher running down the hall towards us with Maddie a few feet behind her. He kicks me in the head and I fall to the ground. I kip up and block his punch. That teacher pulls me back and I put my hands up so they'll let go. "Office now," the teacher says to me. I walk past Maddie and smile.

Maddie's POV:

Watching Jack fight was pretty amazing. He definitely has hops. That could maybe come in handy in basketball. He walks past me and smiles. Why is he smiling? He'll probably get suspended on his first day. I don't have time to worry about him though because I have class.

-20 Minutes Later-

Jack's POV:

"You're very fortunate Mr. Brewer," the principal says to me. They had security camera footage of the Black Dragons jumping me in the hallway. "Thankfully they realized I had to defend myself," I answer back. "Normally you would be suspended too but I think they were slightly in shock on how you defended yourself," the principal says to me. I shrug, "Any punishments? I ask him. "No, but here's your class schedule," he says handing the schedule to me. I look at it:

Student: Jack Brewer

Grade Level: 11

Class Schedule:

1st Period: Algebra 2 8:15-9

2nd Period: Biology 2 9:05-9:45

3rd Period: English 3 9:50-10:35

4th Period: Tech 10:40-11:25

Study Hall/Pass 11:30-11:50

Lunch 11:50-12:30

5th Period: World History 2 12:35-1:15

6th Period: Spanish 1 1:20-2:05

7th Period: Athletics 2:10-2:55

Final bell rings at 2:55. You can leave anytime after that.

"Thank you," I say to the principal and leave. The time on my phone says 9:40 so I just wait at my locker until the bell rings. "Hey, I'm Diggie, what's your name?" the person next to me says. "I'm Jack," I say holding my hand out for a handshake. He takes it and says, "Your the guy that everyone was talking about?" "Ya, kinda had to happen," I say putting some books in my locker. "Those guys are always talking bad about people, picking on people, maybe you kicked some sense into them," he says to me. I look at my phone again and see the time is 9:48. "Well nice to meet you. I need to get going," I say. "Cool, see you around," he says to me. I walk into Room 15 and see Maddie sitting there. "Hi Maddie," I say to her not really paying attention. "Actually, I'm Liv," she says. I look up and see Liv/Maddie but apparently Liv doesn't wear glasses. "Sorry, crazy day already," I say. "It's fine, we get that a lot," she says smiling at me. "You were on some TV show weren't you?" I question her. "Yep, Sing It Loud," she says singing the last part. "Um, ok." I say. "Don't listen to her. She's crazy." I hear Maddie's voice and turn around. "Ha ha, she's funny like that," Liv shoots back. "Class, let's get to work," the teacher says. She's handing out worksheets and I look down at it. "Need some help?" I look around for the voice and feel a tap on my shoulder. "That was me," Liv says. I answer back, "I think I'm ok," I say. "Alright," she smiles at me and goes back to her seat. The worksheet isn't too hard and I get done quickly. "Thank you," the teacher says to me when I turn it in. "Can I use my phone?" I ask. She looks at the clock,"Yes, go ahead," I walk back to my seat and unlock my iPhone. I look at the very first picture. It was of Kim and I on our first date. She's smiling and she just looks beautiful."Who's that?" I look up at Maddie. "That's my ex girlfriend Kim," I answer not offering any more details. "She's very pretty," Maddie answers. "Ya," I say trying to get out of the conversation. "You went pretty quick on those worksheets." She says to me. I breathe out a little and lock my phone. "English was always my strong suit," I answer back. "That's good, I never was really good at it," she answers me back. "Well, if you need help. I'm here." Mentally I'm face palming. Why do I need to get involved with another girl? "That's cool," she says to me. The bell rings and I look at my phone. The time passed really quickly. "What class do you have next?" she asks. "Tech," I answer looking down at my schedule. "Well, right now I have Biology so I'll see you," she says picking her books up and putting in her backpack. "I'll see you later," she says and we both leave the class.

-Lunch-

Jack's POV: 

Today's definitely been a weird day. I apparently have a new girl friend and I'm kinda starting to fit in with everybody.

-End of the school day-

Jack's POV:

I'm walking out to my truck and notice some people around it. "Hey!" I say. They see me and scatter. I walk up and see stuff written on the windows. I smear a little bit and sigh. I throw my backpack in the bed of the truck and unlock the car. It's a warm day and I roll the window, put the key in the ignition, and put the truck in reverse. The drive home takes about 15 minutes but allows me to think about that day.

**Flashback:**

** Jack's POV:**

**Kim is about to take the girl down. I can see her hesitate. The girl picks up on it, and hits a kick to the head. Kim crumples down the ground. ****I start counting to ten in my head.**** It sounds bad but I can talk to her when I'm not flipping out. ****Nine, Ten. I think. I walk out onto the mat. I reach down and notice she's not breathing. **

Jack's POV:

I shake my head and focus on the road. The song on the radio ticks me off for some reason and I shut it off. I unlock the door and set my stuff on the table. "Hey Jack," my dad says to me casually. "What are you doing home so soon?" I ask him. Normally he would have to work until late at night. "Just thought we could look for a dojo. I know how important it is for you to do karate. We could leave soon," he says to me. "How about in 30 minutes?" I say. "Sure," he looks back down at his phone and I leave.

-30 Minutes Later-

Jack's POV:

I get into the car and dad sits next to me. I heard of dojo about 3 miles from here. The drive is actually pretty quick and we walk in. "Hi, my name is Sensei Silver. How can I help you?" The sensei is middle aged with a beard. "I would like to sign up for classes." I say. "What belt rank are you?" he asks. "3rd degree black belt," I say casually. "Ok, how about to figure out where you fit in our class you and I spar?" he says. "Where can I change?" I ask him. He points to a group of restrooms. I change quickly and stretch. "Let's get started, first the rules we have. 1. We always bump fists 2. Always bow before and after you leave the mat, its a sign of respect 3. Be gracious in defeat, but always in victory. Got it?" I nod and bow before getting on the mat. We bump fists and start. He goes for a quick take down and I block with a knee to the gut. He moves back and I go for a quick kick which he blocks. He hits a kick to my gut and I slightly double over. He notices and hits me with a kick to the back. I kip up and use my legs to hit him in the legs. I get up and go to a corner to get my breath back. That kick to the back knocked the air out of me. He's up and moving towards me when I run up to him and jump over him. He said, "Woah," and I kick him out of the circle. "Good match," I say to him. "That was incredible, great match. Definitely deserving of the black belt." We bow and I walk off the mat. "That was incredible son," my dad says to me. "Thanks," I lift my shirt up to check if there was any bruising. Yep, sure enough I had a nasty bruise showing up. "We could some ice for that," Sensei says. "I'm ok, just a quick shower will do," I answer back. That's when I notice Maddie looking at me. I pull my shirt back down and walk over to her. "So what are you doing here?" I ask her. If she does karate... "My brother Parker just started karate," she says. "Well, I'll make sure to help him." I could see she was staring at me with my shirt halfway up earlier. "I'm sure he would like that," she says. "Son, who's this?" my dad asks. "This is Maddie, Maddie, my dad." They look at each other for a second and then they shake hands. "Nice to meet you Maddie," my dad says. "Nice to meet you. I'll see you around Jack," she says and walks off. "Let's go," I say. We leave and I smile at Liv as we leave. I think this new place will be ok.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack's POV:

I wake up the next morning to a terrible feeling right where I got kicked yesterday. I lift my shirt up again and notice the bruise is a deep deep black. I try to stand up and the pain is just too much. I roll off the bed and try to start standing up. I finally get up and kinda stumble to the door. I get it open and walk out into the living room. "Hey son, whoo that looks nasty," my dad says. "Ya, I can barely walk," I barely muster out. "Let's get you to the hospital," he looks at me rather concerned. My mom and dad help me to the car and we drive there.

-45 Minutes Later-

Jack's POV:

The nurse walks up to me and gives me some medicine. "This should help the pain," she says. "Thanks," I say. "How do you feel?" my dad asks. "Like I took a really hard kick to the gut," I say trying not to laugh. Dad laughs and I smile while getting into the car. "Do you want to go to school?" Dad asks. "Not really," I answer. "Wouldn't have expected a different answer," he answers me. I laugh and then groan. '' Ow," I say. "How about not laughing?" he mocks me. "How about we go home?" I say. The trip home is short and I'm happy to lay down.

-A Few Hours Later-

Jack's POV:

Apparently I fell asleep and the door bell rings. "Got it," my dad says. "Nice to meet you Diggie," he says. Dad walks in my room and says,"Got your homework champ," he says. "Alright, if I remember right then theres a basketball game tonight. I kinda wanna go," I say to him. "As long as the majority of your homework is done," he answers. I nod and get started.

-Two Hours Later-

"I'm leaving dad!," I yell at him. "Ok!" he answers me. I'm still holding my stomach a little bit but get into my Mustang. The drive is short and I pay the admission fee. The score is 35-34 in favor of the porcupines. It's girls basketball and Maddie is playing. This school has enough money to pay for the points scored by each player on the scoreboard. Maddie has 16 points but 4 fouls. She's also probably their best player. The other team makes a free throw and the score goes to 35-35. There's 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter so she needs to play smart. I look at my phone for a second and when I look up I see Maddie on the floor. She's holding her knee really tight and crying. I stand up and watch closely. Her dad is out there and is talking to her. I see a trainer and walk over. "Hey Mads," I say to her. She looks at me through her tears and says,"Hey Jack," she answers. "How are you?" I ask her. "Well, besides the obvious I think I'm alright," she says. "Well, I could probably help here," I say. The trainer looks at me and says,"What do you know kid?" she says. "I know that her meniscus is torn," I say. "How do you know that?" she says. "The swelling indicates a meniscus tear," I sayd look back down at Maddie. Everyone is staring at me with wide eyes. "How are you feeling now Mads?" I ask her. "Well knowing is definitely a help," she says. I smile at her and they pick her up to leave the court. "Will you walk with me?" she asks. "Sure," I say. Inside my body is fighting a battle. I walked with Kim when she died. That was just a few weeks ago. How can I do anything when Kim just died a few weeks ago? I walk with her to the ambulance thats waiting outside. They lift her into the ambulance and she waves goodbye. I walk back inside and the Porcupines are are ahead by 10 points. They are playing inspired since Maddie's injury. I decide to sit behind the Porcupine bench and Maddie's dad is calling a play. "22 PRESS! 22 PRESS!" he calls. The Porcupines set up and steal the ball. The final score ends up being 50-35. "Do you know what hospital they are taking Maddie to?" I ask her dad as he picks up his sheets and court jacket. "Probably Smith Memorial, its about a ten minute drive from here," he answers me back. "Ok," I say. He looks at me for a second and walks to the locker room. I walk out and get into my Mustang. I arrive 10 minutes later and ask for Maddie Rooney. "Room 202, who are you sir?" the nurse asks me. "I'm Jack Brewer. Just a friend of hers," I answer. I walk down the hall and find Room 202. "Knock, knock," I say to her. "Hey come in!" she says. "How are you feeling?" I ask taking a chair and sitting down. "Well my leg hurts pretty bad and I won't be walking for a while but otherwise I'm ok," she grimaces in pain and holds her leg. "Your team won. 50-35." I say. "Great! We really needed that," she says smiling. The doctor walks in and see me. "Are you the kid that knew what was wrong with her?" he asks me. "Yes sir," I say. He chuckles and talks to Maddie. "You tore your meniscus. The normal treatment is to repair the meniscus. You could start with crutches for about 2 weeks putting a small amount of weight on your knee. Then we'll see how your knee is progressing." Maddie says,"How long until I can play basketball?" she says. "All depends on how the knee heals. We won't know exactly for several weeks," he says. "Ok," The doctor leaves and I pull the chair up to the side of her bed. "So Mads, I get the feeling I'm gonna be here for awhile so I'm gonna tell you a story. What

do you wanna hear?" I ask. "I'm kinda curious about your girlfriend Kim," she says. I look down then look at her with a single tear in my eye. "Kim died 3 weeks ago," I say.


	3. Chapter 3

Maddie's POV:

"Kim died three weeks ago," he says. I can feel my mouth hang wide open and I look down. I probably just ruined any chance of him and I. "I'm...sorry, I had no idea," I say. "It's fine," he says. "If you don't want to talk about it I completely understand," I say. It's true. I knew what losing someone to death felt like. "I wanna talk about it. I need someone to talk to," he says. "I'm not going anywhere for a while," I say. "Well I guess I should start from the beginning," he says looking at me. I nod and he continues, "My grandfather trained Bobbi Wasabi. The action movie guy. We moved to Seaford and the first day I crashed through a wall at the Wasabi dojo. The sensei told me I was going to juvie and it wasn't true. I was hurt but still competed for them against the Black Dragons." I interrupt, "The same Black Dragons that jumped you?" He nods and continues, " We went to a tournament and I kept teasing her about her liking me. I did a jump to win and she joined our dojo when she found out how the Black Dragons were actually really bad." I interrupt again and say, "When did you guys start dating?" "It's kinda a long story," he looks down. "Sorry." "It's cool, anyways we were younger then and I kinda liked her but I never said anything. We started our 2nd year of high school and of course guys start liking girls more and girls start liking guys more. There was a prison escape and we caught the guy. So this Hollywood director came and told us he wanted us in a movie. The Karate Games." I groan and he looks concerned. "What's wrong?" "The Karate Games?" I mock him just a little bit. "Ya, ya. Well that director was crazy and tried to get Kim and I to kill each other. We tricked him into thinking I died and we beat him up and threw him into jail. We almost kissed. That's when I knew I liked her. We didn't really talk about how we felt until our sensei left us for a circus job." I look at him weirdly and he says, "Like a chief operating officer job." I nod and he continues, "The Black Dragons bought out our dojo. We eventually went our own ways. She was dating someone and I got distracted in a match. We won our dojo back and she and I decided to go on a date. We "officially" started dating after a series of mishaps. I met her dad, we played laser tag, and all was good. That was, until that tournament three weeks ago," he stops there and I see a single tear run down his face. "She had won thirty five straight matches before that. I was standing to her right. She hesistated on a kick. For the last time. The kick hit her in the head. She went down hard. Kicks to the head are uncommon but we wear headgear up to the 3rd level. I went to her and noticed she wasn't breathing. I yelled for someone and and..." He can't get the last words out he's crying so hard. Even though it probably wasn't the best time I take his hand. "Jack, she sounds amazing. If you want to stop," I say. He nods no and wipes a tear. "Her funeral was three days after. I spoke for the majority of the funeral, we talked about her life. Like that was when it hit me. She was gone. Forever. I couldn't hold her hand or walk with her down the beach. I barely finished." That's were he stops and I speak up. "That's really sad. I'm sorry Jack. I can't explain how much I pain I feel just hearing that. Since you've been totally honest, here's my story." I pull my sleeve up and there;s a scar down my arm. He looks at me. "When I was 12 Liv left for her show. The girls at my school would tease me. Ask why I wasn't good enough to be on a TV show or why I wasn't pretty enough when my sister, who looks exactly like me. I lost it and cut a huge gash down my arm. I got to the hospital in time and the looks on my families faces forever changed how I thought about myself. I could see their hurt. In a way I felt ashamed for doing it but my counselor helped me realize that I just needed help. I haven't hurt myself in almost 2 ½ years. It's a work everyday. That's why I started really focusing on basketball," I say. All of that was true. The family didn't talk about it and I covered it up so Liv wouldn't see it. She has no idea. "Please don't tell anyone," I say. "As long as you don't tell anyone about what I just said," he answers. I put my hand out and he shakes it. "Maddie, how are you!" my mom yells. Jack says, "That's probably my cue to leave." He takes off before they can ask anything and I'm left to answer every question the family has.

-**2 Hours Later-**

Maddie's POV:

I'm finally allowed to leave the hospital. The crutches are just slightly too small for me and I'm hunched over a bit. We get in the car and drive home. I'm hopping up the steps to the door when I hear a basketball bouncing. I look over and Jack is in a driveway shooting shots. I see him go up for a shot and his vertical has to be at least 25 inches. His form is nearly perfect. The ball swooshes through the hoop and he rebounds it. He takes 10 steps back and dribbles. He uses a spin move then a double crossover and shoots a jump shot from about 15 feet. I hop back down the steps and hop about 20 feet to his house. He sees me and quits shooting. "What are you doing here?" he asks me. "I should be asking you the same," I joke. "I live here," he says dribbling around a bit. "I live in that house," I say pointing to it. "You have a good shot," I say to him trying to break the slight awkwardness. "Eh, I used to play a little more. How's your knee?" he asks me. "Well, I won't be playing for about 2 months. I go in for surgery two days from now," I say. "Get healthy," he says and shoots a three point shot. It swooshes through and that's when I know I like him.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I wrote this before the Liv And Maddie section was put up on FF and I don't want to have it lost in the crossover section. I'll probably put it there after I finish it.

Maddie's POV:

I'm going into surgery in 20 minutes. I'm gonna be glad when I can just limp around and not have these crutches. Jack is sitting with me in my hospital room. He decided to join the basketball team and in his first game scored 40 points. Of course it was only JV but they won 56-34. His abs were healing up well. That was nice. Anyways I saw that game. He was incredible. That defense had no idea how to stop him. "You nervous?" he asks me. "WAY more than I should be," I answer back. "You'll be fine," he says smiling. Ever since we talked about what happened Jack seems happier. Like a load has been lifted off his shoulders. I'm still trying to figure out when to tell Liv about what happened. My parents unfortunately had to leave. Dad has to teach classes all day and my mom had a REALLY important meeting. So Jack offered to stay with me. He'll be doing all his assignments while I'm in and be with me when I wake up. I'm pretty nervous. "You ready Maddie?" a nurse walks in asking me. "Yep, let's get this over with," I say. She laughs and I say to Jack, "Have fun," He chuckles softly and walks out. They wheel me into the operating room and put the mask over my face. Before I know it, I'm out.

Jack's POV:

I'm sitting in the waiting area doing some homework and suddenly feel the urge to fall asleep. I put my books down and I'm out.

**Flashback:**

** Jack's POV:**

** "You got her Kim!" I yell. I see the hesitation and the kick to the head. I count down and then run out. The scene cuts to Kim's funeral. "And even though she was taken away from us so soon, we know her memory will still live on." What does that mean? Her memory will live on? I can't see how it will. I'll never move on. Who will I tell?**

Jack's POV:

I wake up then. An hour has already a passed. I get back to my work and it goes by fairly quickly. I look up at the clock and it says 12. I go to the cafeteria and go to sit down. "I believe that seats taken." I look up and see Jerry standing there. "What are you doing here?" I ask him not quite believing what I see. "I'm here too," Milton says. "We thought we'd come out here to see how your doing. What are you doing in a hospital?" Jerry asks. "I'm uh helping a friend out. Their having surgery on their knee so I thought I'd stay with them," I say trying not to give to much away. It's hard enough explaining to myself we're just friends. I feel really guilty about this. Kim just died a few weeks ago and I'm already talking to Maddie and hanging out with her. "Could we meet him?" Milton asks. I don't want to lie to them. "It's actually a she, she plays basketball and she tore her meniscus. Her parents couldn't be here so I'm staying with her." As I say that the guilt just gets worse and worse. "Your just friends right?" Milton asks me. "Totally, we both play basketball so ya," I say getting slightly awkward. "We heard you got in some trouble the first day," Milton says. "Ya, Black Dragons are here," I say shuddering just a little. The Black Dragons were our absolute worst enemies. "Really? Wouldn't have expected that," Jerry says. "They've tried to beat us up but Rudy taught us some self defense that's really easy so we've done that," Milton continues. "Jerry, you seem really quiet," I say to him. "I'm just looking at that girl over there," he says not taking his eyes off of her. "Go get her, I'll still be here," I laugh a little bit. I have a sandwich and I take a bite. "How did you two meet?" Milton asks. We're watching Jerry hit on the girl. "Just saw her at school, we have some classes together," I say nonchalantly. "Oh, that's nice," Milton says. I'm not sure if he's talking to me or just in general because Jerry got slapped. I try to hold back a laugh and it just bursts out. Jerry gives me the dirtiest look I've ever seen. "Dude! Not funny!" he yells at us. We laugh and I keep eating. She should be out of surgery pretty soon. "How long are you guys here?" I ask Milton. "Just today, we fly out tonight," he says. "That stinks, wanna see me in a karate match?" I ask. "Of course, I'll drive you guys over there, maybe take Maddie too." I say her name without realizing it and Milton smiles. "Jack, you have a lot to learn about how you feel, we'll see in a bit." With that him and Jerry leave and I'm left to my thoughts.

Maddie's POV:

I feel like I'm falling when suddenly I jolt up. Pain shoots through my knee and I grab it. "Maddie, your fine, remember the surgery?" Jack asks me. I shake my head to clear the fog out and nod towards him. "Good, the doctor said to not move too much," he says. The fog is still there and I'm probably not thinking clearly. I see a woman come in and give Jack something. "What is it?" I ask. "I...I..." he can't get the words out and hands me the note. It says that Kim's death wasn't an accident. It was planned.

AN: Thanks for all who reviewed. You all make great points and I wanna incorporate that into my story. I don't hate Kim or Kick. Just wanted to write this. I hope you'll enjoy it.


	5. Chapter 5

Jack's POV: 

I look down at Maddie. She can't believe what she's reading. "Jack,..." She never finishes because before she can I'm down the hall trying to find that woman. I don't see anyone. "Sir, can I help you?" a nurse asks. "Did a woman just walk down here?" I ask her. "We have a lot of people walk down these halls sir," she answers. "Sorry, I didn't notice anything about her. Thank you anyway." I say. I walk back down the hall and see Maddie talking to a doctor. "The surgery was a success. There was a little bit more damage than expected but that shouldn't effect recovery," he says to her. "Ok, my parents will be here in a little bit," she says. The doctor nods and leaves. "This letter Jack...If it's true. Who did it?" Maddie says to me. I sit down and say, "There's a Black Dragon. His name is Frank. That would probably be a good place to start." I'm already deciding the logistics of the trip when Maddie's parents walk in. "How are you Maddie?" her mom asks her. Her dad says to me, "Thanks for staying with her." I shake his hand and turn to leave. "Oh Jack, good basketball playing." I say thank you and leave. My phone is in my hand and I'm making arrangements for a plane ride and a one to two night stay in Seaford. If Frank knows something, I'm gonna find out.

-3 Hours Later-

Jack's POV:

I already made arrangements and my parents gave the ok. I fly out tomorrow.

Maddie's POV:

My mom's currently talking about something at work but I'm worried about Jack. Worried that he'll do something he regrets later. "Honey, are you listening?" she says. "Sorry mom, just worried about Jack. He's got a lot going on," I answer. The nurses moved me up to room 401 and Liv hadn't come yet. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He's a smart kid," she says to me and looks down at her phone. I take my phone off the table sitting next to me and find one new text. It's from Jack.

From Jack:

Plane Ticket arranged. I'll be back here in two days.

I answer with:

To Jack:

Don't do anything stupid.

He answers back almost immediately with:

From Jack:

I never do

I decide to leave it at that. He knows what he's doing and I don't want to interfere. At least not too much.

-1 Day Later-

Seaford, California

Jack's POV:

It feels weird being back in California. It being warm and Wisconsin constantly being cold. I step off the plane and head towards the mall. It's time to catch my friends up on what happened.

-20 Minutes Later-

Jack's POV:

"Hey Rudy!" I say to my former sensei. "Jack, what are you doing here?" he says to me. The dojo hadn't really changed even though I shouldn't have expected that. "I have some news. I need everybody here. At 9 o clock," I answer. He nods and says, "I'll see you here." I leave and hop in my rental car. It's time to go find Frank.

Maddie's POV:

I'm at home resting. Liv can't believe I have a scar. Something along the lines of scars are ugly. I really need to tell her about what happened. I'm at practice and my teammate misses a lay up. I groan out loud and dad looks at me, "They're gonna miss you out there." I nod sadly. I have to wait for practice to be over to get a ride home. I can't drive with my knee like this so I have to wait for practice to end for dad to take me home. I shift the weight off my leg and put it under me. My leg is elevated so I can only see half the court. They have a game in two days and dad decided I should be an assistant coach. I already did my homework on the other team and I'm really excited. If I never get to play professional basketball I can at least be a coach. "Ok girls, practice is up. We'll meet here tomorrow at 5. Maddie has some stuff she wants you to do." Dad makes them get a break and they leave to go into the locker room. "Hey dad, can you pull this pillows out?" I ask him. He comes over and pulls them. He hands me my crutches. To get to the locker room I'll have to go all the way to the other side of the court. Then through a hallway and make a left. "Why did they make this gym so big?" I ask him. "War. They thought if anybody attacked this would be a good place to store ammunition," he says. "Ohhh," I answer back. He nods and he walks with me across the court to the hallway. "Why don't you go ahead? I need to check some stats," dad says looking at his phone. "Ok," I answer and hop down the hallway and into the locker room. "Hey Coach," someone says to me. Everybody laughs and I kinda look at them. "Just kidding Mads," someone else says. "Haha, funny guys," I say smiling and put some stuff in my locker. Just a nice shirt and slacks. I leave and dad's in the car waiting. "Ready to go home?" he says. "We need to talk," I say. He puts the car in neutral. "You wanna tell Liv what happened don't you?" he asks me. I nod and he says, "I knew this day would come. Let's get home." That drive is the shortest of my life.

Seaford, California

Jack's POV:

Frank is sitting across from me spilling the beans. "The kick was carefully designed. I don't know why they wanted to do it. I promise," he says. I stand up from the table and say, "Thank you." He nods and runs off. I rub my eyes tiredly. It's been a long day. I get up and drive to the mall. I get in a seat at Phil's and wait for everybody. They all show up at once and sit down. "Why did you call us here Jack?" Jerry asks. "Kim's death wasn't an accident. That girl meant to kick her in the head. I have circumstantial proof," I answer. Phil comes by with our order. I pay for it and he thanks me. "Jack, we know you miss her but this isn't the way to get over your grief," Rudy says. I hand him the note. "Where did you get this?" he asks me. "I was with a friend at the hospital when a lady came in and gave it to me. I didn't catch her before she left and I don't know she is," I answer grimly. "What are you planning on doing?" Milton asks me. Jerry is staring at the wall. I snap my fingers in front of him and he shakes his head. "Sorry," he says. I nod and keep talking, "If that woman is part of this. And she's one of them, I'm gonna be gone for a while." "Who's them?" Rudy asks. "The Black Dragons. I'm gonna find their headquarters and break in," I say. "Are you sure?" Rudy says. "Yes I'm sure," I answer. "This might be a good time to leave," I say noticing a Black Dragon creeping up. They all nod and leave. I get into a fighting position and he does to.

Maddie's POV:

"Liv, we need to talk." I say hobbling into her room. "Sure, what's up?" she says putting her iPad down and helping me sit down. I get comfortable and pull the sleeve on my arm up. "What are you doing?" she asks me. "One second." I slowly rub the make up off my arm and it reveals a scar. "Where did you get that from?" she asks me staring at it. "First, I love you a lot. I think this going to hurt you a lot. But just listen and I'll answer any questions you have. Ok?" She nods and I start. "When you first left for tv I was really excited. Who wouldn't be when your sister is gonna be on tv? But then the kids at school started teasing me. Asking why I couldn't get a tv role when my identical twin sister could. They called me ugly and worthless. At first it didn't bother me much. It was kids being dumb. Then it got worse and worse. I eventually started cutting. It escalated into what happened on my arm. That scar is three years old. I deal with it everyday. I don't want you to blame yourself if you do. You had no idea what those kids would say. I still love you and I'm so proud of what you've done for yourself and this family." I finally finish and Liv is just looking at me. "I...I'm so sorry," with that she walks out the door with tears streaming down her face.

Jack's POV:

I'm flying through the air when I feel a 2x4 hit me in the back. I fall hard and see a man standing over me. "Don't try to figure this out. You'll just get hurt." He punches me in the face and I black out.


	6. Chapter 6

Jack's POV:

I wipe my hands on my jeans and cover my shoulder. There's a knife in my shoulder and it's bleeding a little bit. The man is on the floor and the cops are coming to take him away. Phil comes out from where he was hiding, "Is it over?" he asks me. He gaps at my shoulder and hands me a towel. His whole store is wrecked. I put the towel on the handle of the knife and start to pull it out. "Arhg, owwww," I say. I grit my teeth and almost get the knife out when the ambulance pulls up. "Kid, you alright?" An EMT walks over to me. "Let me get this out," I say. "You sure?" she asks. "Yes." She nods and watches. I pull the knife out and the blood starts to pour. I get into the ambulance and they take me to the hospital. There I get 6 stitches and doctor's orders not to engage in any activity. The plane ride home takes a long time.

Maddie's POV: 

I want to chase after Liv but something tell me to wait. I hop downstairs and into the kitchen. "You told her didn't you?" my mother asks. She's cooking some burritos and the steam makes it look like she's sweaty. "Ya. I guess you can tell she didn't take it well," I answer. My mom pulls out a chair for me and I sit down keeping my leg straight. "How did you expect her to take it?" she says. "Well, honestly I don't know. She seems to be more open since she came back. I expected us to talk about it I guess," I answer. The guilt is eating away at me. "How did you hide it for so long?" she asks me. She moves to another pan and pours some meat into it. "Make up, long sleeves," I answer. She nods and pours some water into the pan. "Well, give her about thirty minutes and go down 6 blocks to the school yard. I get a feeling she'll be there."

-40 Minutes Later-

Maddie's POV:

Mom drops me and I hop towards her. I can hear crying and the occasional sniff. I sit down next to Liv on the bench and put my arm on her leg. "Listen. What's done is done. I can't say I wouldn't be mad if you didn't tell me. At the time it seemed like the right thing to do. You were just starting to get famous and we knew you didn't need that kind of pressure. It killed me not telling you and I really wished I had. I've wanted to tell you so much. Then Jack came along. He told me the story about how his girlfriend died and I realized it was time we talked. I'm really sorry," I say as a few tears fall down my face. Liv turns towards me. "It wasn't really that you didn't tell me. It was just that it happened. I really wish you had told me though. I don't really know what to think. I could have protected you somehow," she says. I speak again, "There was no you could have known. I started down and depressed when you still lived here. You being a local celebrity and all. It was when I started really playing sports. I used that as much as I could but it just wasn't enough. I lost it. I'm sorry for not telling you." Liv looks at me and hugs me. "I know you did what you thought was best. I don't hate you or anything. We're sisters. I love you. We can talk later," she says. She helps me up and I get the crutches. "Let's go," I say smiling. We leave together and all seems good.

The Next Morning

Jack's POV:

I walk into school and take my jacket off. I can't wear a shirt over my stitches so I'm wearing a tank top. Everyone's staring at me. "What happened to you?" Maddie asks. "Long story," I answer. She nods and says, "Fair enough. I'm coaching a game tomorrow. You should help me. I look at her, "What do you need my help with?" I ask her. "Score keeping. You know the game really well. If anyone is going to find a weakness in their offense and defense it's you," she says to me. We walk to our lockers. "What about your dad. He'll be there in the "official" coaches position and if the game gets out of hand he'll step in. Otherwise I'm in charge." She gets her books and I say, "Let me get those. I would be willing to help out. Do you have practice tonight?" She nods yes and I walk with her to our class. "Thanks," she says. "No problem."

-That Night-

Jack's POV:

"Ok, in a two-three zone your watching the backdoor cutter on the backside." I say. Now on the man defense we're playing a sag help style. If your more than one your in help. If your man is away from the ball and someone beats your teammate your in help. You can make sure no holes open up," I finish up and they nod. "Ok, that was a good practice. Go ahead and get changed. We'll be here tomorrow at 3:45 to get ready for our game. Jack will be helping us for tomorrow. He'll be in chage of making sure our defense is good. Let's get a break." They get a break and Maddie turns around. "Your a natural leader," she says. I pick up some notes and turn to leave. "Since we have a thing of telling secrets you got any?" I ask her. "Everybody has secrets. Everybody else's job is to figure it out." She smirks at me and gets her crutches and hops on out. That's the moment when I realize I like her.

Ty's POV:

"Jack is getting dangerously close to the truth," I say to the gentlemen in front of me. "What must be done?" one questions me. "We must take the ones closest to him."

**AN: I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this. So thank you.**


	7. Chapter 7

Jack's POV:

Today's the big day. I'm in a nice shirt and pants getting ready for the game. "Your ready?" Maddie comes into my locker room and sits down. "Yes ma'am I am. Heh that rhymed. Sorry anyways ya I'm ready," I say smiling at her. "Let's go," she says. I open the door for her and we go to the locker room. "You guys ready?" Maddie asks them. They nod, get a break and go out the door. "Hey Mads, I have a game after this so I'll be leaving in the fourth quarter," I say. She nods and we head out. There's ten minutes left to warm up so they do lay ups and passing drills.

-10 Minutes Later-

Jack's POV:

"Good job girls! Remember your in man. Make sure if your more than one pass away that your in help," I yell out. Then an explosion hits. I'm knocked to the ground and hit my head kinda hard. I can hear screaming and see Maddie falling down. Before I pass out I see a man leave a note on me.

Maddie's POV:

I hear Jack yelling, then an explosion. I'm knocked to the ground and feel shooting pains through my leg. I clutch it and see some metal sticking through my leg. "Argh, argh," I say. "Maddie!" I can hear my dad yelling. "Here dad!" I say. He spots me and picks me up. "You'll be fine honey," he says. I answer, "What about Jack?" He says, "I don't mean to sound heartless but your hurt. I think he'll be fine." I look around. It's complete carnage. There's bleachers upended and the floor is completely destroyed. We may not have a basketball team or gym after this. We get outside and he opens the door to our car. "Try not to move," he says. I nod and we head to the hospital.

-40 Minutes Later-

"Kid! You alright?" A man runs up to me. I groan and roll away. I can feel blood from where the stitches were. I try to stand up and fall back down. "Ok, just stay there. We'll get some crutches or a stretcher," he says to me. "Just help me sit down," I answer. "Ook," he says. He helps me sit up and I lay back on a bench that is still kinda standing. "You ready?" the man says to me. I nod and he helps me up. It takes a long time to get to the ambulance. "You dropped this note. Here you go," he says to me. I realize what it is. I try to sit up but feels hands push me back down. "Calm down. Your ok," an ambulance worker tells me. I clutch the note in my hand and sit back.

-30 Minutes Later-

Jack's POV:

"He's lost some blood. We need to get some in him!" a nurse yells. Funny thing is I feel fine. "Jack! Are you alright?" My mom comes running up to me. "I'm fine," I say. The nurses are putting blood in me and I feel a bit dizzy then. A detective comes in, "Can we speak to your son Jack?" My mom nods and the detective takes a seat. "We found this on you," he says. I take the note out of his extended hand.

Dear Jack,

We hurt your friends. Stop any investigating you were doing or your family is next.

Sincerely,

The Black Dragons.

"Who are the Black Dragons?" he asks me. "They are a dojo in Seaford where I used to live. Apparently they have a dojo here. I got in a fight with them my first day at school and they blindsided me. That's really all I know," I say. The detectives nods and says, "Thank you." He leaves and I relax for a second.

-12 Hours Later-

Maddie's POV:

I wake up and see my dad sleeping in a chair. The whole incident flashes back in my mind. Where's Jack? I hit the nurse alert button and a nurse appears a few seconds later. "What can I do for you?" she asks me. My dad jolts awake. "Hey Mads, your awake!" he says. The nurse walks in and stands next to me. "Can I help you?" she says again. "Ok, what time is it and is there a patient named Jack Brewer here?" I ask her. She looks at her watch. "It's about Six A.M. ma'am and I can check that name," she says. "How are you feeling?" Dad asks me. "Groggy, what exactly happened?" I ask him. "Well, you guys were doing a great job of coaching. Even in the first few minutes I could tell you guys were good. Anyways there was an explosion. Apparently a group called The Black Dragons did it. You were hurt and retore your meniscus. There was a metal shard in your leg and they had to get that out. It's gonna be a long recovery." The nurse walks back in, "There's a patient by the name of Jack Brewer. He's in Room 301 Would you like to go see him?" I nod and they bring a wheel chair in for me. It's a long ride down to the elevator. We get in and they press for level three. We get out and they wheel me in room 301. Jack is sitting up watching tv. "Hey Mads!" he says. He's bandaged around his shoulder to about his torso. "You ok?" I ask him. "Just a little cut. Nothing this brave people couldn't fix," he says smiling. I smile and a nurse says, "Not just a little cut but I'll let you guys get reacquainted." She leaves and dad says, "I'm sure you guys have a lot to talk about." He leaves too and Jack moves the hopsital bed back a little. "Crazy this thing can move in any direction about two feet," he says. "Jack, we need to talk. "What happened?" I say. "I found a note on my chest. The Black Dragons left it. They want me to stop investigating," he says. "What are you going to do?" I ask him. "They hurt my friends. They have my family in their sights next. I don't know what to do." He puts his hands over his eyes. Just then a note lands through the door. "Not again," he says. He picks it up. He shows it to me. It reads:

Dear Jack,

This is just the beginning of one of the most dangerous you'll ever do. Remember Kim's legacy and who you want to tell.

Sincerely,

A Friend.

**AN: Sorry for not updating. These next couple of months is districts for basketball for me so it's gonna be hetic getting homework and practice done. I hope you enjoy the chapter. :)**


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